


Time Squad- A First Christmas Mission

by Alegriamarkerbox (bcathryn)



Category: Historical RPF, Time Squad
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 15:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13126353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bcathryn/pseuds/Alegriamarkerbox
Summary: Time Squad spends Christmas Eve convincing famous film producers Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass to produce their popular holiday stop motion films instead of cheesy Christmas chick flicks- with help from some past historical figures. Contains some mushy gushy and fluff and also mistletoe.





	Time Squad- A First Christmas Mission

            “Ohhh, no! I am not wearing that!”

            “But I made it just for you! Please, Tuddrussel, just for this evening?”

            Otto glanced up from his book- _A History of Christmas_ \- and craned his neck to locate the source of all the commotion. Moments later, Buck Tuddrussel stormed down the hallway, a bundled piece of clothing clenched in his massive fist, with Larry racing behind him frantically.

            “’Tis the season, you ungrateful boob!” Larry cried, catching the wad just before it smacked him in the face.

            “Hey, Larry!” Otto said, sliding out of his seat. “What’s this all about? What did Tuddrussel just throw at you?”

            “Only the hand-knitted fruit of my labor,” Larry replied with a disappointed sneer. He held up the crumpled sweater, revealing a hideous cartoon reindeer on its front. Real, twinkling bulbs were wrapped around the neckline and sleeves.

            “Yikes- I mean, how nice,” Otto said, forcing a smile.

            “I just wanted him to look festive for the holiday,” Larry sighed, folding the sweater and holding it to his chest.

            Otto quietly hoped that Larry had not made him an identical ugly sweater. People from his time only wore those things as a joke! Otto still could not believe that today was Christmas Eve. Headquarters had hosted a party last weekend; Buck and Larry had gone and snuck Otto in through a gift bag, which they had claimed was for their Dirty Santa exchange. Other than the party, business and missions had proceeded as usual.

            Unlike the Christmas Eves from twenty-first century Earth, Otto had spent this day in the heat. Just a few hours ago, the team had returned from a mission to the 1830’s to persuade Charles Darwin to develop his theory of natural selection instead of building a tacky putt-putt golf course and amusement park on the sunny Galapagos Islands. Normally the boy loved missions involving fellow brainiacs, but he was eager to return home- to his very own family- to celebrate a happy Christmas for once.

            In fact, Otto could not recall a happy Christmas. Before, Christmas was just another day filled with Sister Thornley’s brutal chores and bullying and taunts from the other children. There were never gifts or decorations or carols- but for once in his eight years, things would be different, for the better.

            Just then, the history instability alarm rang.

            Larry did his calculations as Otto and a still-annoyed Buck arrived at the monitor.

            “Aww man!” Buck groaned. “Just when I thought we’d get a holiday off!”

            While Otto agreed, he kept his disappointment to himself, and instead read aloud from the monitor, which displayed a black-and-white image of two young, bespectacled men.

            ARTHUR RANKIN AND JULES BASS

            1960

            NEW YORK CITY

            “Ooh! Rankin and Bass!” Otto exclaimed, gasping with delight. “They were two American producers who founded their own movie company in the 1960’s.”

            “What kind of movies?” Buck asked. “Wild Westerns!? Gangster films? Por-”

            Larry jabbed him with an elbow to silence him.  
            “Well, they were famous for their Christmas specials, like _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and _Frosty the Snowman_. Oh, and my favorite, _Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town_! It’s about the history of how Santa came to be!”

            On those rare occasions when the children were allowed to watch television at the orphanage, Christmastime often found them enjoying the holiday classics. Otto was especially fond of the depiction of the young Santa, a fellow redhead and abandoned child who rose to great fame, brining joy to all children.

            “Well, let’s set these fellas straight and teach ‘em about real entertainment!” Buck exclaimed as the three bundled up and headed for the transporter. “Not those cheesy, schmaltzy Christmas kiddie cartoons!”

            Otto rolled his eyes, and Larry sighed with exasperation.

 

            The trio found itself on the streets of New York- at Christmastime, no less! Holiday shoppers paced from shop to shop, and from their spot on the sidewalk, Otto, Buck, and Larry could see the famous Rockefeller Center tree.

            “Wow- 1960, New York City!” Otto cried. “This whole city is like one big Christmas display!”

            “Now just to find Rankin and Bass,” Larry said, adjusting his pink fur cap.

            “Well, they can’t be far,” Otto said, pointing at a tall building across the street. “Rankin and Bass Productions,” he read aloud from the sign above the revolving doors.

            The three entered the building and found themselves in a marble lobby bedecked with a tall, glittering tree.

            “So delightful!” Larry exclaimed, fingering a glass ornament shaped like a red cardinal perched upon the Christmas tree branch. “Quite vintage.”

            The elevator across the hall “dinged.” Then came a voice; “Good evening, gentlemen,” followed by two sets of footsteps.

            Otto looked up and gasped as he saw the two men, both sporting horn-rimmed glasses and gaudy sweaters much like the ones Larry had tried to force Tuddrussel to wear earlier.

            “That’s them,” he whispered excitedly to his companions. “That’s Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass!”

            Rankin and Bass stood side-by-side before their visitors and offered handshakes, but Buck refused.

            “Tuddrussel! Manners!” Larry hissed, scowling at the officer.

            Buck instead flashed his badge at the two producers. “I’m Officer Buck Tuddrussel with Time Squad. We understand that you two are in violation of historical accuracy-”

            “Sir…er…Officer,” began Bass, the shorter of the two men, “I can assure you that my partner and I are not in violation of any kind of law…”

            “…We’ve be especially careful not to come across as pro-Red,” the taller Rankin continued. “If that’s what you are concerned with.”

            “What Officer Tuddrussel means,” Otto said, stepping forward, “is that we want to stick around a bit and, um, learn more about your business here.”

            “Ah! Our business, then!” Rankin smiled and motioned for the trio to follow him to the elevator. “We’re taking a break at the moment, but we’re more than happy to give a short tour.”

            The elevator stopped at the fourth floor. Rankin and Bass led the Time Squad to an office. The desks were cluttered with papers and folders.

            “This is where the magic happens,” Rankin explained, motioning for the visitors to sit upon a plaid couch.

            “Magic, huh?” Buck asked, rising from his seat. Larry slapped a hand upon his shoulder and forced him back down.

            “Only some of the greatest, most heart-warming holiday films ever produced,” Bass said proudly, clutching a film reel to his chest. “Like our latest release…”

            “… _A Man for Christmas_!” Rankin announced, indicating a thick script book. “A young woman works as an audacious journalist…”

            “…And falls in love with a dashing young man just before Christmastime!”

            “And let’s not forget _A Christmas to Remember_ ,” Rankin added. “A curmudgeon discovers the true meaning of Christmas after warring with his neighbors over their excessive Christmas light displays.”

            “My favorite has to be _A Christmas Wish_ ,” Bass said. “A woman wishes for a boyfriend for Christmas, and gets one! Paul Newman played the boyfriend, you know.”

            Buck could not help but wince. Larry, on the other hand, was grinning and giggling to himself.

            “Why don’t we prepare the viewing room downstairs for you three? For a demonstration of sorts,” Bass said.

            “Uhh, that won’t be-” Buck began impatiently, but Rankin and Bass had already picked up a box of reels and left the office.

            “Oh no!” Otto cried, nearly tearing at his own hair. “They’re producing the wrong kind of movies!”

            “And what is wrong with trite but heartwarming Christmas chick flicks?” Larry asked reproachfully.

            “Umm, the fact that they are trite and Christmas-y and chick flicks?” Buck retorted with a disgusted sneer.

            “We need to get them back to producing the specials that made them famous! The specials that bring families all around the TV set for holiday magic!” Otto then re-composed himself and thought for a moment. “And I think I know how to make that happen.” A mischievous grin crept across his face. “Are you three okay with, you know, bending the rules a bit tonight?”

            “Umm…” Larry began, but then Buck exclaimed, “Long as it gets the mission done in time for us to get home and actually celebrate Christmas!”

 

            It had been a few years since Otto had last seen _The Year Without a Santa Claus_ , but with its motley crew of characters and whimsical story, he knew that it was just the kind of real Rankin/Bass production that would make history right again. He stayed behind in New York with Buck, scrawling a crude script inside a steno pad he found in the producers’ office. Buck, meanwhile, crept inside the costume shop and raided several closets, putting together outfits for elves and Santa and the others. Normally, Larry would have been the best for this job, but he had a more important task to accomplish at the moment.

            Less than an hour later, an exhausted Larry returned- but not by himself.

            “This had better work,” he whispered to the boy, who was perched upon a lobby chair eagerly, a pile of script books tucked under his arm. “Orville Wright is a bit fried from all the zaps.”

            Behind Larry stood a whole gang of past historical figures, all chosen especially by Otto, who had the right roles in mind. The white-bearded Sigmund Freud was to be Santa Claus, while Larry had happily agreed to portray the fabulous Mrs. Claus. Orville and Wilbur Wright had been chosen to play Santa’s two elves, Jingle and Jangle, while Amelia Earhart was eager to don an animal suit and join the airplane inventors as their reindeer, Vixen. Edgar Allen Poe was cast as the town’s snarky, skeptical mayor. Otto was to play the ginger-haired, bucktoothed boy Iggy Thistlewhite. Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte were to play the boy’s parents. Rounding out the cast were Lewis and Clark as the Cold and Heat Misers, respectively, while a thrilled Betsy Ross was assigned the role Mother Nature. Buck had reluctantly taken on the role as the director.

            This was perfect, Otto thought, as Buck distributed the costumes and scripts.

            “Why, this is astonishing!” Wilbur Wright exclaimed as he and his brother slipped on their pointy elf hats. “We’ll take the stage once more, but in a Christmas pageant!”

            “Do I really have to put these dirty socks over my head?” Amelia Earhart groaned, examining her furry self in the mirror.

            William Clark was helping himself to a bowl of Christmas trail mix while Meriwether Lewis painted his face orange. “I feel in character already, Lewie!” Clark said, his mouth full of the snack. Some debris flew into Lewis’s face, which was already painted pale blue, with a plastic icicle hanging from the end of his long nose.

            Betsy Ross was dancing with glee as she tacked flowers in her hair and all over her green outfit. Edgar Allen Poe, who was donning an all-black ensemble and a top-hat, gazed gloomily at his reflection in the mirror.

            Otto kept his glasses on but practiced pulling his lower lip under to create buck teeth. Larry felt at home in his costume- a tidy apron and a gray bun wig.

            “Okay, everyone ready?” Buck announced. “Places everyone!” He peeked behind the makeshift curtain to ensure that Rankin and Bass were in their seats- simple folding chairs swiped from the employee lounge. They were, and looked a bit unimpressed.

            “Action!”

            The curtain flew back, revealing Santa-Freud and Larry-Mrs. Claus in a set designed to resemble Santa’s workshop.

            “Ja, I am tired of this Yuletide season,” Freud began, a hand on Larry’s back. “I believe this exasperation stems from feelings of extreme overwork prior to and during a major holiday.”

            “That wasn’t what you were supposed to say!” Larry hissed, re-adjusting his gray wig. “Anyway, Santa,” he continued, raising his voice, “you cannot simply cancel Christmas! Think of the world’s youth!”

            Just then, Wilbur and Orville cartwheeled onto the stage in their elf suits. “Hup, hup!” Wilbur cried. “Cancel Christmas, you say, old boy?” Just then, an oversized prop candy cane toppled over and hit Orville on the head, nearly knocking him unconscious. Rankin and Bass simply stared at one another and shrugged.

            Next came the scene in which Santa commanded the two klutzy elves to take the reindeer, Vixen, to earth and find evidence that people still believed in Santa. Orville, Wilbur, and Amelia put on their harnesses, but as they began to soar across the stage on their “flight” to Earth, Orville’s harness malfunctioned, and he crashed to the stage floor.

            Buck took the stage for a moment as a police officer, who was to write the elves citations and took Vixen-Amelia to the dog pound.

            “Jingle and Jangle,” he began, reading his lines off of a prop notepad, “You two are in violation of the law, riding a reindeer down the street the wrong way, wearing funny clothes, blah blah blah…” He shoved tickets in the elves’ faces, but did so a bit too forcefully, as Orville stumbled backwards and fell on top of a prop automobile.

            Rankin and Bass once again shot puzzled expressions at one another as Iggy-Otto and Mayor-Poe arrived to aid the two elf characters. Otto struggled to remember his lines, and Poe appeared disgusted by the glittering set.

            However, the men’s expressions changed from those of confusion to those of interest when the Heat and Cold Misers appeared. What fascinating characters! Unfortunately, their musical numbers did not go as expected. Clark stumbled as he tried to dance, and his voice was much too gravelly to sound the least bit pleasant. Otto tried not to give up hope when he noticed Rankin and Bass covering their ears and cringing.

            The story concluded with Santa realizing that there were still believers and resuming his Christmas activities. After the curtain closed the final time, Otto raced to the two gentleman.

            “So, what did you guys think?” He smiled anxiously.

            “Well…” began Rankin.

            “It was terrible,” Bass stated bluntly. “Poorly rehearsed.”

            “Tacky decorations.”

            “No one was really in character.”

            Otto’s face fell.

            “But,” Rankin resumed, “It was such a clever story!”  
            “Creative!” Bass interjected.

            “Thoughtful and fun! And it captures the idea of believing in Christmas magic.” Rankin’s face lit up for the first time that evening. “With a few adjustments, it would be the perfect television film.”

            “Yes!” Bass agreed. “Maybe it would be nice in animated format? Or no, wait! Stop-motion! With talking dolls and life-like sets…”

            “Just imagine how magical that would look, Jules!” Rankin gushed, jumping from his seat. “I can just see the joyous faces of all the boys and girls and their families!”

            “Mind if we, um, make some revisions to this show, young man?” Bass asked Otto, who nodded and handed over a script. Bass thumbed through its pages. “Goodness, this could easily be an hour or so long.”

            “Can we keep the musical numbers, Jules?”

            “Yes! Speaking of, I wonder if Fred Astaire would be interested in doing some work with us.”

            “Maybe we can dabble in some traditional cartoon animation, too?”

            Otto laughed to himself, remembering lying in front of the tiny TV set in the orphanage commons room, his chin propped up on his fists. “You two will go on to produce some pretty iconic stuff,” Otto said proudly. “I just know you will.”

           

            Once the props had been cleared and the costumes put away, the Time Squad and their historical friends mingled about the screening room, making plans for the evening. It was Christmas Eve, and Larry had agreed- at Otto’s insistence- to let everyone stay just a bit longer.

            Larry, Betsy, Amelia, Josephine, and Lewis went out shopping at the big department stores just before closing. Rankin and Bass stayed with the rest of the group, talking business with the Wright brothers and asking Freud to interpret their dreams. Freud concluded that both of them had issues with their mothers. After the shoppers returned, everyone mingled in the screening room and said their final goodbyes, when something caught Otto’s eye.

            “Hey! Is that… mistletoe?” Otto pointed at a green bundle tacked above the screening room doorway.

            “It’s just some décor. From our last film. _Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe, Baby._  I think we’ll go ahead and scrap it…” Bass began, but he was shoved aside by Lewis and Clark, who rushed under the mistletoe, hand in hand, and kissed.

            “Merry Christmas, Lewie!” Clark shouted, wrapping his arms around Lewis’s waist. Lewis blushed and batted his eyelids.

            “Ooh!” Amelia cried, reapplying her maroon lipstick and popping a peppermint in her mouth. She turned to the Wright brothers excitedly; Orville was beaming from underneath his bandages. “Come on, Will, baby,” she crooned flirtatiously, much to Orville’s disappointment. She took his blushing older brother by the hand and they smooched beneath the mistletoe. Next came Napoleon and Josephine. Napoleon chuckled and turned his cheek to show everyone the red lip print.

            “This is so sweet,” Larry remarked, fanning his face with a hand. Otto giggled and tapped his shoulder. “Yes, Otto?”

            Otto silently pointed at Buck, who was hovering in the back of the crowd, gagging loudly, his hands around his throat.

            “Oh, come here, you oaf!” Larry exclaimed with a gasp, smiling and making his way to his partner.

            “Oh no, we aren’t!” Buck tried to pry Larry’s hand off of his bicep, but he gave up and followed the robot to the mistletoe. Buck looked up at the plant, then down at the eager, metal face below him.

            “Eh, what the heck!” Buck erupted into a confident grin. “Merry Christmas, Rust-butt!”

            Buck bowed down, wrapped his arms around Larry, and gave him a kiss. An “aww!” arose from the group, and Larry laughed with glee.

 

            Rankin and Bass thanked the Time Squad and their helpers one last time, then prepared to head back to their main office upstairs.

            “We cannot thank you enough for giving us this inspiration,” Rankin said.

            “But we must be on our way now. We need to get to work right away,” Bass explained.

            “Oh, don’t worry about working now. Not on Christmas Eve,” Larry said, shaking his head. “Come and join us for dinner. I’ll be cooking.”

            “Yeah! Larry here makes a mean turkey!” Buck added, slapping Larry on the back.

            “With gravy?” asked Bass.

            “You betcha!” Buck replied with a proud smile.

 

            And so everyone dined together in the building’s dining hall. At dessert- a real figgy pudding, made by Larry, of course- Otto jumped from his seat and gave Buck and Larry each the biggest hugs he possibly could.

            “This is just what I wanted for Christmas!” the boy said, embracing Buck’s thick neck. “Solving a mission, visiting friends from the past,”- he smiled at the historical figures who had helped the team out that night- “and of course, my very own family to spend it with!”          

 

           


End file.
